Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-25
SHE ECLIPSES THE LILY.
Mrss Potter's First Night Leads Lang
try's and Bernhardt's-An Enthus.
iastic Crowd Of Bidders.
Choice of the Boxes Goes for S40O-PulhZer
Fxpsads $500 for Box Alive Dol
lars for Back Seats.
New York Star.

last night were Mrs. James Brown
Potter anG her managers, Messrs. Miner,
Key, LoDsdale and Stowe.
The anxiously expected auction sale of
the seats for Mrs. Potter's first perform
Rnce was past, and the result, between
Sl 900 and ST., 500 for the boxes, first
floor and the first gallery, surpassed their
most sanguine hopes. II is stated that
this amount largely exceeds the entire
house on the Langtry and Bernhard
opening nights.
Box B on the left OF and next to the
stage was reserved by the Gilsey estate,
the owners Of the theater. The gallery
vas not offered; this portion OF the house
will be sold from the box office.
A goodly sized audience for such an
event, was gathered TO get the pick of the
house, but Comparatively few got what
they wanted, as Tyson, Brentano, Roth
and others were there, loaded with orders
to buy at any price, and these orders and
the speculative purchases they made on
their own account soon exhausted the
Offering.
At about 4:45 Auctioneer John II.
Draper's gigantic figure and rudy face
appeared on the stage, accompanied by
Messrs. Key and Lonsdale. The two lat
ter gentlemen seated themselves at a
table on the right OF the stage, TO keep an
account of the sale, and Mr.. Draper
opened business at once by saying:
"Ladies and gentlemen, you see on
the stage before you a plan of
the house with each seat and
box plainly numbered; am instructed
TO offer the entire house, with the excep-
ton Of box B, which is reserved by the
owners of the theatre, snd the gallery.
Mr.. Miner and Mr.. Key have reserved no
seats for any purpose. 1 now offer you
the choice of the boxes. What do 7
hear?"
"One hundred dollars" piped voice
from the left of the house; before the
sound died away, "two hundred" was
heard, and in quick succession, "dfty,"
''seventy fve," "three hundred" and,
by bids of twenty-five each, $500 was
soon reached, at which price 1t was
knocked down to Fred 81. Gould, who
took box D. A buzz of surprise and ad-
mirstion ran around the room, as this
was understood to be considerably more
than a box had ever brought Def ore in
this city.
Mr.. Gould bought for Mr.. J. Il. Flag
Ter, the Standard Oil magnate.
The sale recommended with bid of
500, which soon increased to $500, and
box G became the property Of Mr.. Will
liams for two or three hours.
Box A was sold for $500. The bidding
for this was not so brisk; it started az
500, aud moved up by twenty-fves, tens,
and at last fVes up to 1886, when, after
considerable "going, going, going" by
the auctioneer, Mr.. Joseph Pulitzer ven
tured a fve-dollar bid, and the box was
knocked down to him.
Box 81 was bought By Mr.. J. II. Lyon
with part Of the profits of the Third Az
e1ue Railroad. II cost him 500, and he
left the house Respondent in buff COL
ored top coat and satisfied smile. Box
6 was bought by Benjamin Wood for
500 Box F will lie occVpisd by Broker
Lamont at cost of So. BJX E went to
Tyson, on an order, for $50.
There now remained of the boxes only
the four with two seated cubby holes
percAed in the roof, and which good ma
tured Auctioneer Draper said were the
best boxes in the house for fellow who
wanted to take his best girl. Key here
interrupted with an attempted descrip-
ton of the boxes. The auctioneer noti-
a.
him alone he would sell the boxes. sI'u
bet you WILL" replied Key, and the sale
proceeded with bid of 50 so which soon
became IS, and Tyson took the lot.
The seats In the orchestra circle were
then offered. "One or ALL" said the
suchoneer; "noW go ahead; there are
not many, and lots of people are going to
be disappointed"
Five dollars was the first bid; $1,000
WAS soon heard, at which price Mr.. Roth
said "sixty-four." "Do you mean num-
Der sixty-four?" queried Mr.. Draper
"No, siXty-four seats; here are my num-
bers." It began to look as though the
auctioneer's prediction of disappoint-
ments was likely to be realized when the
audience saw sixty-four of the best seats
in the house crossed of the gigantic dia-
gram that hung on the stage.
The next seats were bought by Billy
Pontin of chop house fame, who paid $40
each.
A lot of sests were then sold at $40,
$40 so and 81 so. Among the buyers
were Mr.. Ssalfield, Mr.. Hemingway and
Fred Gould. Tyson stepped in and took
a large block at $40.
John Hoey took Nos. 164, 165, 166 and
1877 at $40 each; Mrs. Brockholst Cutting
took six seats, and Mr.. James Hartman
four at the same price. Mr.. j. B. Allen,
Maurice Minton, E. P. Schmidt, E. W
Ssportss, Granville Kane, Mr.. William
Parsons, Mr.. Leslie, Mr.. Broadhurst,
PIanger Walton and Mr.. D. H Church
were among the other buyers of orchestra
seats st $40 each.
Tyson, Brentano and Mcbride took the
balance Of this lot at from 81 to 50.
The psrquet circle was then offered,
and was sold at prices varying from
$1,000 to 50 80, the greater number being
bought by Tyson and Brentano at an
average OF about 81.
Dir. Miner makes the gratifying an
nouncement that no standing room, will
be sold for the first night, as he feels that
the people who have paid So for back
seats should be insured undisturbed en-
joyment Of the performance.
n.ax U.roaanns